Tuesday, November 25, 2014

P.K. (Rana) Medhi

The Arizona Geological Society reports that "Long-time AGS member P. K. (Rana) Medhi [photo credit, AGS] passed away Nov. 7, 2014 at his home in Casa Grande. Medhi, former chairman of the Board of Governors of the Arizona Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources, former adjunct professor of geology at Central Arizona College, and former Governor of the Mining Foundation of the Southwest retired in 1994 after 28 years at Cyprus Amax Minerals Company. He had a M.S. degree from the University of Arizona and was a certified professional geologist and an Arizona - registered geologist; he worked as an independent mining and exploration geologist after his retirement."

On a personal note, Rana played a key role in preserving the historical mining records and other assets of the Dept. of Mines & Mineral Resources when they shut down in 2011 due to a budget shortfall. With an hour to go before the agency closed, he signed an agreement to make AZGS temporary custodian of the materials, until the Legislature could approve the merger of the agencies.